a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water filters, and more particularly, to a filter apparatus including selectable filtered water, pulsating water, and aerated water output functions for dispensing water from a faucet.
b. Background Art
A variety of filter systems exist having various designs and configurations that filter water dispensed directly from a faucet or other tap. Some filter systems have a connection assembly including fittings and seals that allows a user to connect the filter systems directly to the end of a faucet. Further, some filter systems provide a replaceable filter cartridge. With such filter systems, once a filter has reached the end of its useful life, a user can remove the old filter and replace it with a new one. However, some of the aforementioned filter systems are relatively large and can be a nuisance to a user performing various activities in a sink that do not require filtered water, such as washing dishes. Often such filter systems do not provide the user with the ability to move or swing the filter system relative to the faucet to place the filter system in a more convenient location without compromising the seal between the filter system and the faucet. Further, many filter assemblies include complicated connection schemes that make it difficult for user to replace a filter.
Some filter systems also provide a knob or a switch that allows a user to selectively operate the filter system to dispense either filtered water or unfiltered water. Typically, once a user selects a mode of operation with the knob, the knob remains in the selected position until the user changes it. As such, sometimes the user inadvertently operates the filter system to dispense filtered water when it is not required to do so, which needlessly wastes the useful life of the filter. In addition, many filter systems only provide for filtered and unfiltered operation without any other modes of operation.